Certification
Thank you for your interest in becoming AAHID Certified!
AAHID Board Certified Healthcare Interior Designers are distinguished from other interior designers, decorators, and other non-healthcare design professionals as dedicated specialists in healthcare interior design. The AAHID appellation provides clear recognition by the healthcare and residential senior care industries of this expertise and dedication, and is considered the benchmark for healthcare interior design qualifications on many government and private sector Request for Qualifications.
Please click on the link below to access additional information about becoming AAHID Certified:
Overview of the AAHID Certification Application and Exam Process
To submit your application along with portfolio, please download and review the Candidate Handbook posted below.
Becoming AAHID Certified – FAQ’s
Question – I am NCIDQ certified and have practiced interior design for 10 years, but have only worked in healthcare design for the last 3-1/2 years. Am I qualified to apply for the AAHID exam?
Answer – Candidates must have at least 5 years of healthcare interior design project experience to qualify to apply for the exam, regardless of how many years they have practiced interior design professionally.
Question – I have passed the NCARB exam for architects, but have not taken the NICDQ. I have practiced healthcare interior architecture for 15 years. Can the requirement for NCIDQ be waived?
Answer – Candidates must have successfully passed the NCIDQ exam. At this time, NCARB is not considered an equivalent exam.
Question – I work as an in-house NCIDQ certified interior designer for a hospital, so my role is managing the team of consultants on large and small projects. Do I qualify? How do I submit projects?
Answer – You may submit projects that are completed by other firms if you are implicitly clear on your role as project manager or in-house interiors with an outside architectural firm, what you did on the project, and have letters of recommendation from the outside firm and clinical leader on the project that show that your role was on the project to enhance the design of the project to support safety, health, and welfare of the users of the facility.
Question – I only have 4 projects photographed, and one project was a master plan for interior finishes and furniture. Can I submit the master plan work as one of my projects even though they have not implemented it yet on a project?
Answer – You may submit one master plan type project that does not include built work – but the technical work related to performance, life-cycle costs, and design application must be represented clearly, and you need to provide a letter of recommendation from the client related to this work. It is preferable to have at least one example of implementation of the master plan work, no matter how small the area.
Question – I don’t have access to professional photography for my residential senior care work. May I use my own camera and submit those photos?
Answer – We do not require professional photography. We encourage out of hand photos for the best images of the application of the design and impact to the users and residents, not just glamour shots. Your drawings will also enhance the project documentation, so providing examples of plans, elevations, and any special key details that support your healthcare design solution is important in your submission.